


Ozone

by ShadowSelene (Shadowdianne)



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-03-26 13:06:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19006381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowdianne/pseuds/ShadowSelene
Summary: SQ prompt : S1 - Regina's car gets a flat and the sheriff pulls over to change it. The sheriff has very nice arms....Asked by waknatious via tumblr





	Ozone

**Author's Note:**

> How many points out of the lesbian card will you subtract when I admit that while looking at nice arms is never a thing I’ll be complaining about that on itself is not exactly a kink of mine? Xd Oh well, after this stupid note… let’s get on with this, shall we?

 

Mud. Mud on her boots, on her slacks and even on her hands. That was everything Regina was truly capable of focusing on as she glanced at the offending wheel that had decided to turn into a barely recognizable tire just on the outskirts of Storybrooke’s border. If she had been closer to town reception would have been better but, as part of the course and as a side effect of the guards that kept the place hidden from the outside world, there was no much range hidden on the high trees that rose at both sides of the road.

Growling as she straightened her posture; knowing that keeping looking at it won’t make her any good, the brunette found herself thinking when she had been able to simply focus and let magic do the rest. It was a futile daydream, she knew it: albeit she could feel the curse weakening with each passing day magic on itself remained isolated from the curse itself. Power didn’t run deep in the soil or air around the city as it had happened back at the Enchanted Forest and while she had become accustomed to the lack of it all with time and patience she sometimes wished she was able to connect back to it, to the magic she knew was still hidden in some clause of the course. One Gold probably hadn’t told her about.

Pressing her lips together, hands on her waist, she eyed the flat tire once more; not seeing much of a change since the last time she had looked at it. It was useless, of course; she had never taught herself how to fix that sort of things. And even if she knew how to, she didn’t have the proper tools for it. It was so rare for her to use the car outside the proper city limits that she hadn’t even considered the possibility of something like this. Which, she admitted as she sighed, rising her hand, ready to tread her fingers through her hair only to stop as she saw the drying mud on them, spoke volumes of her mind’s state.

She had lost the opportunity to put Sidney in the sheriff office. That alone made her grind her teeth together as she closed her eyes, angry. She wasn’t accustomed to losing and the thought of having done such in the way that it had happened didn’t help with her mood. Which could have been the reason why she had just driven up to the invisible line that divided Storybrooke with the outside world. A way, perhaps, of checking that the guards were still up. That there was something she still controlled.

_“So pathetic.”_ Mother would have said, and she was able to hear the voice being carried forth by the wind that run through the tall trees’ branches, ruffling the coat she wore and making her debate on whether or not kicking the tire now that there was no one watching. Her thoughts, however, were cut short by the sound of a car. One that, if her ears weren’t deceiving her, was coming from her side of the barrier.

Frowning but relieved, she glanced at her left just in time to see an offending yellow splash of color. One that, as soon as it circled the last curve that hugged the southern part of the forest that once upon a time had been part of the Enchanted Forest, came almost to a stop before accelerating. Having clearly been spotted, Regina rose her chin haughtily as the car came into a stop a few meters away from her own.

She didn’t need to wait to see who was driving of course and she refused to acknowledge her presence even if it was obvious she needed the help. Narrowing her eyes as the driver’s door opened, she merely spared a glance to the shiny new badge that glimmered under the settling sun. Clasped at the blonde’s belt, the metal winked at her before she looked back up towards the maddening green of Emma Swan eyes.

“Need help?” The blonde mimicked her earlier posture, hands on hips, red leather jacket slightly opened and locks bouncing on her shoulders in a way that made Regina clench her hands; reminded once more of what she had lost. Of to whom she had lost.

“I don’t.” She spat, her voice cold but holding enough anger that she almost wondered if she hadn’t felt the tiniest flicker of fire lapping her digits. Of course, when she glanced down, no flame waited for her and she swallowed down a scream of pure frustration. Focusing once more on Emma, the brunette eyed the woman, the stranger, that had dared to destroy the power she held. “Are you aware that if you are working that’s not the vehicle you should be driving Sheriff Swan?”

The blonde, however, seemed to be unperturbed and she took off the jacket with a few tugs before placing it at the top of her own car, tank top showing as her boots dragging the gravel of the road. Circling Regina, the blonde crouched in front of the even more maddening tire.

“I trust that car.” She said, off-handedly as she inspected the wheel, tucking one lock of hair behind her ear. It was such a tiny movement but yet one Regina’s traitorous eyes focused on in the same way the move made the muscles on the blonde’s eyes slightly more defined, more pronounced.

Maddening, Regina thought with anger firing at the pit of her stomach, wasn’t even covering half of it.

Swallowing an almost shaky breath through her teeth, she gulped down oxygen she most definitely didn’t need before she closed the two steps that separated her from the kneeling blonde. Emma’s other hand was hanging between her legs, forearm resting on her left thigh as she balanced her weight; tips of her feet firmly planted on the soil. The effortless way she kept on carrying herself, as if she hadn’t beaten Regina, as if Regina hadn’t lost to her, enough for the older woman to think on yanking the blonde’s hair, tugging it, made abundantly clear that she, under no circumstance…

“I think I can fix this one.” Emma’s voice was calm, but her eyes twinkled slightly, and Regina felt her pride flare up at it as her train of thought was stopped. “Bring me the lug wrench and…”

“I didn’t ask for your help.” This time her voice wasn’t cold by irate and she hated her own lack of control. Fingers tingling, she let her hands hang limply at her sides as she glanced down at the still kneeling blonde. Huffing, the woman rolled her eyes before she pointed at the tire with her thumb, not even moving an inch.

“Regina.” She said, and her voice hold heat but not enough. “You can do whatever you want after this, but I won’t leave you in the middle of nowhere with wolves roaming around.”

“There aren’t wolves.” The words escaped her mouth automatically, even if she knew her statement wasn’t exactly true. There weren’t. Never had been. Not until the woman in front of her had walked into her town, into her life, decided, apparently, to destroy everything.

Emma rose her hands in defeat, her stance wobbling a little but otherwise intact.

“Whatever you say, madam mayor, but I knew what I saw. If you want to stay and figure out if there are wolves or not feel free to do it. But I’m going to fix the tire.”

Tip of tongue pressed against the back of her teeth, the brunette turned abruptly and went to the back of the yellow car, glancing with disgust at the mess that awaited her on the trunk. Not looking once at the other woman, not wanting to give her any satisfaction, she picked up the wrench after a few seconds of doubt and practically tossed it at her: the sting of metal against her palm once she battled away with turning her hand into a fist, fingers curling.

She halted in the same spot she had been before, the decision turning into a mistake as her eyes went back to staring at the younger woman as she started pulling the nubs, her movements quick, experienced. Which, for a reason she didn’t quite wanted to put her finger on it, made her see red.

“Stop.” She growled as Emma’s hands kept on twisting the wrench, effort obvious in the fine sheen of sweat that began to cover her forehead and upper arms. She wished for the blonde to halt, to go, to stand and glance at her so she could simply tell her that she had had enough.

Emma, on the other hand, didn’t follow her wish; keeping her movements just as steady, lips slightly parted in a way that Regina found herself hating for even looking at them.

“I said…” She began, reaching for Emma’s shoulder and stumbling as she felt a flash of electricity running through her arm. Her words were left on her throat, unsaid, as she stared at her fingertips, the crackle of sudden power dying the moment she moved away. In that millisecond, however, the distant tug of magic weaved its tendrils around her; promising her power in a way she had almost forgotten how it worked.

“You can try to kill me and hide my body in a second, Regina.” Emma answered, her jaw a sharp angle that the brunette glanced at, flabbergasted. Her prior anger was still there, bubbling deep on her stomach, but sudden curiosity trumped over it, washing over her as she eyed the one who had been a thorn at her side ever since she had taken a step into the perimeter.  Despite the strong ozone scent permeating the air, Emma didn’t seem to realize neither that or the sparks Regina could still see on the back of her eyelids every time she closed her eyes. Swallowing thickly, she brought her hand back to Emma’s shoulder, her fingers encountering warm skin that was quickly losing its heat as minutes went by. The touch startled Emma; her eyes stormy when she glanced up, green almost grey and Regina found herself licking her lips in a sudden anticipation she wasn’t entirely sure what it was for.

“Madam…” Emma looked about to truly fight her: the heat the older woman had wanted before now on full force. Shoulders locked, triceps far too obvious, Regina let her hand fall back.

“Fix it.” Her voice was hoarse and far too crackled, and Regina closed her eyes momentarily as the ozone drifted off, the scent of wood and mud returning to her nose the second she was able to breathe properly.

She didn’t dare to watch as Emma finished, her eyes lost in the woods where she spied far too many glowing eyes for her liking. She needed to find what had happened, she thought to herself, animosity still there, need swirling just below her chest. She needed to put a stop in this.

(She would never do it, of course. But that’s another story)


End file.
